Suffolk · Domesday Book 1086

Sibton in the Domesday Book

A settlement recorded in William the Conqueror's great survey of England, completed in 1086. 3 manors were recorded here.

In 1086, Sibton was held by Mainard.

Historical Context

Sibton in 1086

The Domesday Book was the result of a comprehensive survey ordered by William the Conqueror at Christmas 1085. Royal commissioners rode out across every county of England, recording the name and size of every settlement, who held it, what it was worth, and how that compared with the value it had held in the time of Edward the Confessor twenty years before.

For a settlement like Sibton, being entered in the Domesday Book was a defining moment in its history — a written acknowledgement of its existence by the new Norman state. The survey recorded the manor's lord, its taxable assessment in hides or carucates, the number of ploughs at work, and the population of villagers, smallholders and slaves who farmed the land.

The names of Domesday settlements reveal the deep roots of England's landscape. Many carry Saxon, Danish or even older origins — names that were already ancient when the Norman commissioners inscribed them in the great survey. Understanding a place's Domesday record is the first step in tracing the full arc of its history from the early medieval period to the present day.

About this area

Suffolk in the Domesday survey

Suffolk in 1086 shared with Norfolk a distinctive social character, with large numbers of free tenants and sokemen recorded in the eastern hundreds. The county's coastline supported fishing and trade, and its river valleys were productive agricultural land. Bury St Edmunds Abbey was the dominant ecclesiastical landowner, holding manors across a wide area of the county in the name of St Edmund, the martyred East Anglian king.

Historical context

Notable places nearby

Sutton Hoo
Archaeological site · ~13.7 miles
Common questions

Questions about Sibton

Was Sibton in the Domesday Book?+
Yes. Sibton was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as a settlement in the historic county of Suffolk.
Who held Sibton in 1086?+
In 1086, Sibton was held by Mainard. The tenant-in-chief was Count Alan (of Brittany).
Who held Sibton before the Norman Conquest?+
Before the Conquest in 1066, Sibton was held by Alwin.
What was Sibton worth in the Domesday Book?+
In 1086, Sibton was valued at 2 pounds. The 1066 value was 2 pounds, showing unchanged.
How many people lived in Sibton in 1086?+
The 1086 survey recorded 41 people in Sibton: 8 villagers, 31 smallholders and 2 slaves.
What land did Sibton have in 1086?+
The Domesday Book records Sibton as having 4 ploughs in use, 6 acres of meadow, 60 pigs of woodland.
Where is Sibton today?+
Sibton is a settlement in the historic county of Suffolk, England.
Aubrey Research

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